Details about Tata working on a premium SUV with the help of Land Rover, is in public domain for quite a long time. A latest report published in ET says that the Tata Q5, codename for the Tata-JLR’s upcoming SUV, is now close to getting financial approval from the Indian automobile giant. This means that the final talks on the development might soon take place.

The Tata Q5 project will be built on Land Rover Discovery Sport platform, though the company will have to modify it thoroughly to keep its prices under check. Also, since the steel grade used for the Discovery platform isn’t available in India, the company will have to explore options locally. Besides underpinnings, the company will also take design help from the British luxury marque.

The new SUV will wear a Tata badge in all likelihood, though a joint Tata-Land Rover badge is also under consideration. As per an old report, a team of 45 engineers led by Karl Heinz Servos, Project Director for Joint Projects at Tata Motors.

Powering the Tata Q5 could be a 2.0-litre diesel unit that will be sourced from Fiat-Chrysler. The same engine will also be used for Chrysler’s C Jeep in India. There were no plans to bring in a petrol option of the vehicle earlier, the company might now consider bringing one due to uncertainty surrounding diesel vehicle ban in the National Capital Region (NCR).

As soon as Tata Motors’ board releases the funds for the Tata Q5 project, a sourcing agreement will be finalised.

Tata Q5 SUV Launch

Though the project is about to get the financial approval, we expect its development to finish only by 2018.

Tata Q5 SUV Price in India

Variant

Expected Price

Base Model

Rs 25 lakh

Top Model

Rs 30 lakh

The upcoming 7-seater SUV will be the company’s flagship product in India, and will rival products like Toyota Fortuner, Ford Endeavour, Hyundai Santa Fe and others in the premium SUV segment. We expect it to be priced between Rs 25 lakh – Rs 30 lakh (ex-showroom).